Dwyane Wade earlier this season referred to it as like a young Mike Tyson entering the ring. LeBron James said they won games on fear alone. They were speaking of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, perhaps the most dominant team in NBA history. As talented as that team was, it had an even greater component. Intimidation. "You talk to the older guys who played back then and they can kind of tell you that they won it off strictly intimidation," Wade said before the season began.

BOCA RATON - Nothing should intimidate FAU seniors Andrae Kirk and Alex Deleon when the Owls open their season Saturday on the road against Nebraska. Not the jitters that go with the first game of the season. Not the 87,000 fans clad in red inside Memorial Stadium. Not even the highly-touted Cornhuskers, who open the season ranked as the No. 22 team in the nation. For Kirk, a linebacker, and Deleon, a tight end, playing a national power is a challenge that motivates them. Facing the Cornhuskers should provide a strong indicator of where Owls stand after a preseason camp in which Deleon said the team has made major improvements.

A Broward Sheriff's detective has been arrested for possession of oxycodone pills without a prescription and is accused of using intimidation and his position with the agency to obtain them, the Sheriff's Office said Saturday. Detective John Brindle, 45, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. He has been with the agency for the past seven years and works in Pompano Beach. Following a tip that he was obtaining pills at an Oakland Park home, detectives conducted surveillance of Brindle's whereabouts Friday and pulled him over once he had the eight pills in his possession.

I recently lived in building where a neighbor owned two big, muscular dogs. The first time I encountered these massive-jawed beasts, I had just left the building and entered its gated parking lot. Suddenly, the hulking creatures were rushing straight toward me. You know that feeling I experienced - terror that knifes through your torso, a geyser of adrenaline that not only triggers the fight-or-flight instinct, but also calculates that one...

Palm Beach County public school principals are intimidating and harassing teachers in "alarmingly rampant" numbers that pose a serious threat to student achievement, union President Debra Wilhelm says. The Classroom Teachers Association has learned from its members that workplace intimidation is a "systemic" problem and "nothing seems to be being done to alleviate this behavior," Wilhelm told the School Board on Wednesday night. Superintendent Wayne Gent's administration responded Thursday with a promise to investigate the claims and said it "welcomes any constructive suggestions" to address the matter.

Re the findings and allegations reported by John Holland, "Longtime feud ... becomes public" (Jan. 17): Intimidation and retaliation are the norm in Hollywood. At City Hall, the mayor and City Commissioner Cathy Anderson are known for getting even with those who don't agree with their "pillage-and-burn" politics. After talking to dozens of District One citizens about supporting a new candidate for District One, I learned that many citizens are afraid to take stands against both Anderson and the mayor, fearing they will be left out during budget talks for their neighborhoods or worse.

Another South Florida politician is felled by scandal and criminal charges, and voters must be wondering if it will ever end. But after the salacious allegations of disgraced elected officials using their public office to enrich themselves with expensive watches, millions of dollars in secret land deals and paper bags filled with cash, it may be tempting to view Jeff Koons' transgressions in a more sympathetic light. After all, some are already arguing, the whole sorry episode that drove Koons to resign in disgrace Tuesday arose from the eight-year Palm Beach County Commission veteran's devotion, not to his own enrichment, but to helping the environment.

My husband and I attended a Broward County Democratic Executive election for officers at Plantation High School on Dec. 6. After members voted to sign their ballots, the ballots were to be collected and held at the DEC headquarters 30 days, allowing any DEC member to see how others voted. This was an intimidation and scare tactic. Why should anyone know how others voted? The Broward DEC has 490 elected delegates; 346 showed up to vote, and 144 did not attend. In our opinion, they were afraid to do so. The reason is obvious.

Claims of "witness intimidation" and obstruction of justice were made on Friday by attorneys for the Jupiter woman who said she was raped on March 30 at the Kennedy estate in Palm Beach. The allegation came minutes after police made public the woman`s statement to Palm Beach police. In that report, the woman, 29, said she repeatedly told her attacker -- whom she identified as William Smith, 30, -- "no" when he held her down and raped her near the Kennedy mansion swimming pool. Smith was at the compound with his uncle, U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, during Easter weekend.

Three years of Roger Neilson is enough. The New York Rangers coach is a nice guy. He has a friendly dog. He is a good tactician. But he is not a motivator, not a great bench coach, and his philosophy is anachronistic. He would have been great in the Original Six days before 1967 when intimidation was more of a factor in the NHL. Nobody has won the Stanley Cup by being tougher than the opposition since the Philadelphia Flyers of 1974 and 1975. Yet Neilson`s strategy in the Rangers` six-game ouster by the Pittsburgh Penguins was predicated on toughness.

Imagine speaking at a city commission meeting on a hot-button topic and then a few weeks later getting a letter from a corporate lawyer that reads: "We intend to examine all of your records, yard signs, notes, surveillance tapes, telephone and cell phone records, letters, emails (including those on private e-mail accounts), social media, documents and writings concerning [our client]…This not only includes paper writing and records but also electronic, taped and computerized writings and images…hard drives, PDAs, laptops, text messages, calendars…and all types of electronic storage media.

While Panthers interim coach Peter Horachek has constantly tinkered with his fourth line, generally comprised of rugged, defensive players, the one constant has been enforcer-type forward Krys Barch. Barch, 33, was a healthy scratch in 10 of the first 16 games under former coach Kevin Dineen, but has been scratched in just five of the last 30 games since Horachek took over. While one of Barch's most attractive attributes as an NHL player is his willingness to fight opponents to protect the more skilled, younger players such as Jonathan Huberdeau and rookie Aleksander Barkov, he's had just one 5-minute fighting major over his last 12 games.

Ian Naveira grabbed his dad's U.S. Department of Agriculture tactical vest and empty holster and drove out to the Super 8 motel in Lantana, police said. But his plan wasn't to crack down on contraband smugglers. Instead, at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, the 28-year-old Boynton Beach man barged into Room 437, where he would try — and fail — to pass himself off as a cop in a bid to intimidate a 24-year-old escort and her boyfriend into forking over money, according to a Lantana police arrest report.

The only snow seen by Lake Worth native R.J. Boyd may have been on television or dripping from a cone while hanging at the beach, but that doesn't mean this Panthers prospect doesn't have a passion for hockey or feel comfortable on ice. Boyd, a seventh-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2010, is believed to be the first Florida native drafted by a team playing in the Sunshine State, and the young defenseman would love to play for his hometown team....

President Barack Obama's “culture of intimidation” led to the scandalous IRS targeting of conservative groups, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio told the Senate on Wednesday. Rubio, a tea party favorite, has seized upon the scandal to condemn the IRS, demand accountability and claim vindication for tea party groups that fear government oppression. He has also used it as a fund-raiser for his political action committee. Now he's trying to tar Obama with it by arguing that the White House set the tone by using his administration to intimidate opponents.

A Broward Sheriff's detective has been arrested for possession of oxycodone pills without a prescription and is accused of using intimidation and his position with the agency to obtain them, the Sheriff's Office said Saturday. Detective John Brindle, 45, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. He has been with the agency for the past seven years and works in Pompano Beach. Following a tip that he was obtaining pills at an Oakland Park home, detectives conducted surveillance of Brindle's whereabouts Friday and pulled him over once he had the eight pills in his possession.

One dropped murder charge is enough, prosecutors said on Thursday. This time they at least want a chance to send Ronald Knight to prison. A judge on Thursday cut off all of Knight's phone privileges - even to his mother - because his sister apparently enabled him to badger potential witnesses in his upcoming murder trial by using three-way calling, testimony showed. It was similar intimidation that forced prosecutors to drop a 1993 murder charge against Knight, who along with two friends had been accused of robbing and killing a West Palm Beach gay man. "Threats don't have to come as a bald-face threat: `I'm going to kill you,'" Prosecutor Andrew Slater said in court, explaining Knight has made no overt threats in the most recent case.

Election Protection ? which describes itself as the nation?s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition with more than 100 organizations including groups representing black, Hispanic, Native American and young voters ? has been monitoring election preparations and attempting to ensure everyone who is eligible gets a chance to cast a ballot. Coalition members are especially concerned about the potential for voter intimidation involving attempts to dissuade people from exercising their rights to vote.

Dwyane Wade earlier this season referred to it as like a young Mike Tyson entering the ring. LeBron James said they won games on fear alone. They were speaking of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, perhaps the most dominant team in NBA history. As talented as that team was, it had an even greater component. Intimidation. "You talk to the older guys who played back then and they can kind of tell you that they won it off strictly intimidation," Wade said before the season began.

While Sunday's feud between Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen and Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper died down slightly a day later, the most publicized pine-tar incident since the legendary George Brett temper tantrum in 1983 was still a major topic of conversation before Monday night's game. Guillen tried to reach out to Nationals manager Davey Johnson by telephone but the 69-year baseball lifer wasn't interested in rehashing the fourth-inning incident in Sunday's 4-0 loss to Washington.